Latch and thrust mechanism for printing press ink carriages



- Dec. 20, 1960 G. P. BOULE EIAL- 2,965,023

LATCH AND THRUST MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESS INK CARRIAGES Filed Sept.18, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet INVENTORS G eqfgeffio ale, BY[GTFLLZESZl/QHSOIZ,

Dec. 20, 1960 G. P. BOULE ETAL LATCH AND THRUST MECHANISM FOR PRINTINGPRESS INK CARRIAG Filed Sept. 18, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Gear59}? oule, BY Emmi 192110225022 Dec. 20, 1960 G. P. BOULE El AL LATCHAND THRUST MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESS INK CARRIAGES Filed Sept. 18,1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS. Geoz'geffioal, BY 11 r ESzz/ansom Dec.20, 1960 ca. P. BOULE E.TAL

LATCH AND THRUST MECHANISMFOR PRINTING PRESS INK CARRIAGES 5Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 18, 1957 INVENTORS. 81 7.50 ale, ESzz/anson\j BY T Dec. 20, 1960 G. P.'BOULE El'AL LATCH AND THRUST MECHANISM FORPRINTING PRESS INK CARRIAGES Filed Sept. 18, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 NWO Geg yePB 0 ale, BY Kermiiiliuansom United States Patent Oflice 2,965,023Patented Dec. 20, 1960 LATCH AND THRUST MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESS INKCARRIAGES George P. Boule, Chicago, and Kermit E. Swanson, Berwyn, Ill.,assignors to R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company, a corporation of DelawareFiled Sept. 18, 1957, Ser. No. 684,666

3 Claims. (Cl. 101-352) This invention relates to a latch and thrustmechanism for the ink carriages of a printing press, and in particu larit relates to such a mechanism which is controlled by a paper Webdetector system so as to unlatch and thrust the ink carriage away fromthe press when a tear is detected in the margin of a paper web passingthrough the press.

There have been numerous efforts in the printing art to devisedependable mechanisms for latching the movable ink carriages to a rotaryprinting press and for automatically unlatching and thrusting thecarriages away from the press when a break or an incipient break appearsin the paper web passing through the press. The need for such mechanismsis occasioned by the fact that the loose end of a broken paper web maybe caught in the driven rolls of the ink carriage and carried asubstantial distance into the ink roller system. If the form rollers ofthe ink carriage may be separated a short distance from the platecylinders of the press before a loose web end may be caught betweenthem, this problem of rewind of the loose web into the inking system issubstantially eliminated.

The prior art ink carriage latch and thrust mechanisms have generallyincluded" rather complicated mechanical linkages to distribute latchingand thrusting power from a central power source to a plurality of latchmechanisms at the sides of the press and the ink carriages. Thesearrangements have generally been unsatisfactory for their intendedpurpose because wear in the linkages usually causes a plurality of latchmechanisms to get out of alignment with each other, or out of phaseswith each other, so that the latches jam and fail to function as theyshould. When such a latch linkage fails to function properly, there maybe as much time required to open the jammed latch mechanism as there isto clear the rewind which results from the jam. Obviously, this is arather unsatisfactory situation.

In accordance with the present invention the plurality of latches foreach ink carriage of a printing press are unlatched, and the inkcarriage is thrust from the press, by the simultaneous operation ofindividual fluid motors which are associated directly with the latchmechanisms. A common type of ink carriage latch arrangement has a latchmechanism at each of the four corners of the ink carriage, so as to lockthe carriage to the press at the top and at the bottom. Some carriagelock systems may use latches only at the bottom. The particularembodiment of the invention herein disclosed is applied to a press inwhich latches are supplied at all four corners of each carriage.

Simultaneous operation of the four fluid motors for each carirage, or ofthe eight fluid motors for the two carriages associated with a singleimpression cylinder, may be readily accomplished by a suitable electriccontrol circuit wired through the web detectors, so that when any one ofthe web detectors detects a tear in a margin of the paper web passingthrough the printing press, the

control system functions to simultaneously energize the solenoids offluid control valves for the four, or eight fluid motors, thus actuatingthe motors to unlatch the several latch mechanisms simultaneously andthrust the ink carriages away from the press. When the press crew hascleared .the web if there is an actual break, or verified that theincipient break will not be harmful, a pushbutton may be operated toreverse the positions of the several solenoid valves and thus operatethe fluid motors to return the latch mechanisms to their engagedpositions. In the particular embodiment disclosed in the presentapplication, return of the latch mechanisms automatically draws the inkcarriages back to their operative positions secured to the press frame.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in theaccompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a generally schematic side elevational view of a typicalrotary press and two associated ink carriages with the latch mechanismof the present invention applied to the upper and lower corners of eachcarriage;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view on an enlarged scale ofthe lower right hand latch mechanism of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of the upper right hand latchmechanism of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of the lower left hand latchmechanism of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of the upper left hand latchmechanism of Fig. l;

Fig. 6 is a view of the lower left hand latch mechanism of Fig. 4 inreleased position with the ink carriage thrust away from the pressframe;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of the mechanism of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the mechanism of Fig.2, viewing Fig. 2 from the right;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary section taken substantially as indicated alongthe line 9-9 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 10 is a wiring diagram of the control circuit for operating thefour latch mechanisms on one ink carriage.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and referring first to Fig.1, a single stand 20 of a printing press has a frame 21 on which isjournalled an impression cylinder 22 and a plurality of plate cylinders23. Associated with the stand 20 is a pair of ink carriages, the righthand ink carriage in Fig. 1 being numbered 24 and the left hand carriagebeing numbered 25. The ink carriage 24 is provided with a frame 24amounted on rollers 24b so as to be movable with respect to the pressstand 20, while the carriage 25 similarly has a carriage frame- 25a onrollers 25b. The ink carriage 24 has two suitable systems of inkdistributing rollers, indicated generally at 2'6, terminating in twosets of form rolls 27 whichare normally in contact with the platecylinders 23 at one side of the press frame; while similarly the inkcarriage 25 has two sets of inking rollers 28 terminating in form rolls29 which are in contact with the plate cylinders 23 on the opposite sideof the press stand.

The present invention is concerned with the ink carriage latch andthrust mechanisms which are indicated generally in Fig. 1 by the Romannumerals II and HI for the lower and upper latches of the carriage 24,and by the Roman numerals IV and V applied, respectively, to the lowerand upper latches of the ink carriage 25. For convenience in associatingthe views with the variouslatch mechanisms, the Roman numeral referencefor each latch mechanism is the same as the figure number for thedetailed view of the same latch mechanism; and thesame numbering'seriesis also employed in the wiring diagramFig. 10.

ing of the fluid cylinders and the bases for the latch ele-- 'ments, dueto differences in the structures of the'two sides of the press stand 20and in the associated parts of the ink carriages 24 and 25. However, thebasic components of the four latch mechanisms are the same. It will beunderstood that the ink carriage 24 has, on its opposite side, latchmechanism which duplicate mechanisms II and III; and that the carriage25 has on its opposite side latch mechanisms duplicating IV and V.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 8, the press frame includes a base member21a on which is mounted a bracket 31 which has a pivot pin 31asupporting a fluid motor 32 of the latch mechanism 11. Preferably thefluid motor 32 is an air motor, rather than a hydraulic motor, so as toavoid the use of hydraulic liquid. The motor 32 has a piston providedwith a piston rod 33 which is seen in Fig. 2 to be in its advanced, orextended position with respect to the cylinder of the air motor.

Mounted on a foot 21a of the press frame 21, adjacent the piston rod 33,is a bracket 34 in which is journalled a rock shaft 35; and as best seenin Fig. 8 the rock shaft is provided with a crank 36 which is bifurcatedas seen at 37 to receive a pin 38 by means of which the crank ispivotally connected to the piston rod 33. Also mounted on the rock shaft35, but closer to the press frame 21 than is the crank 36, is a combinedlatch and thrust arm 39 having a pair of thrust rollers 40.

The ink carriage frame 24a has a forwardly extending boss 24c at itslower corner on which is mounted a fixed latch hook 41 having a hookfinger 42 in the lower margin of which is a suitably shaped recess 43which re? ceives the combined latch and thrust arm 39 with its thrustrollers 40. Hook 41 is provided with spacing bosses 41a to align itproperly with latch arm 39. Precise positioning of the ink carriage 24with respect to the press stand 20 is assured by matching machinedabutment pads on the press frame 21 and the carriage 24, said machinedpads being indicated respectively by the reference numerals 44 and 45.

Referring now to Fig. 3, it is seen that the press frame includes anupper press rail 21b on which is mounted a bracket 51 having a pin 51awhich supports a fluid motor 52. The motor 52 includes a piston providedwith a piston rod 53 which is seen in Fig. 3 to be in its advanced, orextended position with respect to the cylinder of the air motor, so thatin this respect it is like the air motor 32 of the mechanism II.

Mounted on the press frame 21, adjacent the piston rod 53, is a bracket54 in which is journalled a rock shaft 55; and as best seen in Fig. 9the rock shaft is provided with a crank 56 which is bifurcated as seenat 57 to receive a pin 58 by means of which the crank is pIvotallyconnected to the piston rod 53. Also mounted on the rock shaft 55, butcloser to the press frame 21 than is the crank 56, is a combined latchand thrust arm 59 having a pair of thrust rollers 60.

The ink carriage frame 24a has a forwardly extending boss 24d at itsupper corner on which is mounted a fixed latch hook 61 having a hookfinger 62 in the lower margin of which is a recess 63 which receives thecombined latch and thrust finger 59 with its thrust rollers 60. Machinedabutment pads 64 and 65 are positioned, respectively, on the press frame21 and the upper boss 24d of the ink carriage. These machined padscooperate with the similar pads 44 and 45 seen in Fig. 2, and withsimilarly positioned pads on the opposite side of the press frame andthe ink carriage, to assure that the carriage is correctly positionedwith respect to the press stand 20.

As seen in Fig. 4, the latch mechanism IV includes an air motor 72 thepiston rod 73 of which is shown in extended position; and adjacent thepiston rod 73 on a foot 21c of the press frame is a bracket 74 for arock shaft 4 75. A crank 76 on the rock shaft is bifurcated as seen at77 in Fig. 7 to support a pin 78 which pivotally re- .ceives the outerend of piston rod 73. On rock shaft 75 is a combined latch and thrustarm 79 having thrust rollers 80 adjacent its outer end.

The ink carriage frame 25a has a forwardly extending boss 25c at itslower corner; and a fixed latch hook 81 is provided with spacing bosses81a (see Fig. 7) which align it with the latch arm 79. Latch 81 has ahook finger 82 in the lower margin of which is a recess 83 whichreceives the latch arm 79 and thrust rollers 80.

As seen in Fig. 5, the latch mechanism V includes a bracket 91 on anupper press rail element 21d, and the bracket has a pin 91a on which ismounted a fluid motor 92 the piston rod 93 of which is seen in extendedposition. A bracket 94 on the press frame 21 supports a rock shaft 95 onwhich is a crank 96 carrying a pin 98 for a pivotal connection to thepiston rod 93. A combined latch and thrust arm 99 is also mounted onrock shaft 95 and has a pair of thrust rollers 100 journalled in itsouter end portion. The ink carriage frame 25a is provided adjacent itsupper corner with a fixed latch hook 101 having spacing bosses 101a toalign it with latch arm 99; and a hook finger 102 is recessed to receivethe latch arm 99 and the rollers 100.

Like the carriage 24, the carriage 25 is seen in Figs. 4 and 5 to beprovided with lower machined pads 85 which abut matching pads 84 on thepress frame, and with upper machined pads 105 which abut matching pads104 on the upper portion of the press frame.

The latching and unlatching of the four described latch members issimilar in all cases, and accordingly only the latch mechanism IV isseen in dis-engaged position in Figures 6 and 7. Comparison of theseviews with Fig. 4 shows that retraction of the piston rod 73 actsthrough the crank 76 to turn the rock shaft 75 and swing the latch andttrust arm 79 with its rollers 80 outwardly and away from the pressframe 21. This carries the rollers 80 out of the hook recess 83 and intocamming and thrusting engagengnt with a hook thrust face 81b, so as tothrust the ink carriage 25 away from the press stand 20 on its rollers25b. The extent of movement of the carriage 25 may be seen by comparingthe position of the hook finger 82 with respect to the press frame 21 inFig. 4 and in Fig. 6, and the space between the abutment pads 84 and 85in Figs. 6 and 7. Although the movement is not great, it is adequate toopen a space between the form rolls 29 and the plate cylinders 23 andthus eliminate the possibility of any substantial rewind of a brokenpaper web into the ink distributing rolls 28 of the carriage 25.

Simultaneous actuation of the air motors 32 and 52, for the latchmechanisms II and III. and of corresponding air motors 132 and 152 forlatch mechanisms IIA and IIIA (Fig. 10) on the opposite side of carriage24, is accomplished through the control system illustrated in Fig. 10.Basically. the control mechanism consists of the usual solenoid controlvalves for actuating the air motors to advance and retract their pistonsand piston rods, together with a suitable control circuit containingfour normally open web detector switches which are wired in series andheld closed by the action of the paper web passing through the pressstand 20. A duplicate circuit for the latch mechanisms IV and V ofcarriage 25 is operated off the same four detector switches, so that aweb break causes the unlatching of both ink carriages.

With further reference to Fig. 10, the control circuit includes 220-voltsupply lines and 111 which enter the system through a fused disconnectswitch 112. From the line 110 a control branch circuit 113 has a firstline 114 with four normally open web detector switches wired in series,there being detector switches D51 and D52 at the two sides of the paperweb entering the press stand 20, the detector switches D53 and D54 atthe two sides pf the paper web leaving the press stand. The margins ofthe paper web in contact with the detector fingers of the switches areindicated in Fig. as W; and the detector switches are of the customarytype which may open if the detector finger riding on the web encountersa break in the web margin.

Control circuit 114 also includes a solenoid 115 of a control relay 116which has a normally open switch 116:: forming a part of the controlcircuit. Relay 116 serves as an actuating member for the air motorsolenoids through a normally open switch 1115b and a normally closedswitch 1160. As shown in the drawings, the normally open switches 116aand 11612 are closed and the normally closed switch 116c is open, whichare the positions occupied by them during normal operation of the systemwith a Web passing through the press and the four detector switches allclosed.

From the solenoid 115 a control circuit lead 114a has a branch 1141:containing contacts for the normally open relay switch 116a. Circuit114b also passes through the contacts of a normally closed unlockpushbutton switch 117. A branch circuit 1140 contains the contacts of anormally open momentary lock pushbutton switch 118 and also passesthrough normally closed switch 117.

In the condition shown in Fig. 10, the control circuit 114 is completedthrough the four closed detector switches DS1, D82, D83, and D84,through the solenoid 115, through the branch circuit 114b, the contactsof relay switch 116a, and normally closed pushbutton switch 117.

If one of the web detector switches opens because of a break in the webmargin, control circuit 114 is deenergized, and the switches of relay116 move from the position shown in the drawing to their normalpositions -i.e., 116a and 11Gb open, 1160 closed. To re-establish thecircuit after the web break has been repaired so that all of thedetector switches are closed, it is necessary to press the normally openmomentary lock" pushbutton switch 118 which closes the control circuitthrough branch circuit 114e, energizes solenoid 115, and returns therelay switches to the positions shown in Fig. 10.

If the ink carriages are to be released and retracted with the detectorswitches all closed, unlock button 117 may be pressed to break thecontrol circuit through relay solenoid 115.

There is also a detector bypass circuit 114d having a normally open,momentary contact pushbutton switch 119 which entirely bypasses relay116 and the pushbutton switches 117 and 118.

Also coming off line 110 is a transformer branch circuit 120 which isconnected to the high voltage side of transformers T2, T3, T2a and T3awhich are associated, respectively, with the valve control solenoids forthe air motors of the latch mechanism II, III, IIA and IIIA. Thesecondary windings of the four transformers are connected by suitablecircuits with the valve control solenoids. Thus, transformer T2 has itssecondary in circuit with a first valve control solenoid AS2 which isfor advancing the piston of air motor 32 of latch mechanism II, and witha solenoid RS2 for retracting the piston of air motor 32. Similarly, T3is in circuit with solenoids A53 and RS3 of the air motor 52; T2a is incircuit with solenoids AS2a and RS2a of air motor 132; and T34: is incircuit with solenoids AS3a and RS3a of air motor 152. The circuits forall of the solenoids which control the advance of the air motors are incircuit with the contacts of relay switch 11Gb; while the circuits forall of the solenoids for controlling retraction of the air motors are incircuit with the relay switch 1160. Thus, as seen in Fig. 10, with therelay switch 116b closed the valve control solenoids A82, A83, AS2a andAS3a are all energized, and the piston rods of the four air motors areall advanced as shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5. In this position of theair motor piston rods the carriages are locked to the press stand 20,and thus occupy their normally secured positions for printing.

Upon occurrence of a web break, relay switch 11Gb opens and 116a closes,thus deenergizing the advance control solenoids and energizing theretract control solenoids RS2, RS3, RS211 and RS3a, inclusive. Thisretracts the air cylinder pistons, unlatches the carriages and thruststhem away from the press stand.

As previously stated, the circuit of Fig. 10 controls the four airmotors for the latch mechanisms of carriage 24; and an identical controlcircuit is wired through the same four detector switches A81 to AS4,inclusive, to operate the four air motors for the other ink carriage 25associated with the press stand 20. Thus, a tear in the margin of thepaper web either entering or leaving the press stand causes both of theink carriages to be unlatched and thrust away from the press.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness ofunderstanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understoodtherefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. In a printing mechanism having a rotary press member with asinglemovable ink carriage member releasably secured at one end thereof,carriage latch and thrust mechanism comprising: a fluid motor at eachcorner of one of said members; a latch lever pivotally mounted on eachcorner of said one of said members and operatively connected to theadjacent fluid motor, said lever having spaced rollers on one arm; andmeans at each corner of the other of said members providing space,upright latch thrust surfaces, said rollers on a latch lever beingmovable in and out of thrusting relationship with said thrust surfaceswhen the lever pivots, so that the rollers thrust the members apart whenthe fluid motor is actuated in one way and draw the members togetherwhen the motor is actuated in the opposite way; and control means forsimultaneously actuating said motors to selectively release or latch themembers.

2. In a printing mechanism having a rotary press member with a singlemovable ink carriage member releasably secured at one end thereof,carriage latch and thrust mechanism comprising: a fluid motor at eachcorner of one of said members; a bell crank latch pivotally mounted oneach corner of said one of said members and operatively connected to theadjacent fluid motor. said bell crank having spaced rollers on one arm;a latch hook at each corner of the other of said members, each latchhook having a latch recess with spaced puright thrust surfaces, saidrollers on a bell crank being movable in and out of said recess when thebell crank pivots, said rollers bearing on one of the upright surfacesto thrust the members apart when the fluid motor is actuated in one wayand bearing on the other upright surface to draw the members togetherwhen the fluid motor is actuated in the opposite way; and control meansfor simultaneously actuating said motors to selectively release or latchthe members.

3. The mechanism of claim 2 in which the bell crank comprises a rockshaft, a crank arm on said shaft connected with the fluid motor, and alatch arm on said shaft, the rollers being on said latch arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,968,166 Phythian et al. July 31, 1934 2,583,639 Faeber et a1. Jan. 29,1952 2,676,540 Faeber Apr. 27, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 663,773 GreatBritain Dec. 27, 1951 694,047 Germany July 24, 1940

